Who Did It Better? Wind Beneath My Wings

Who Did It Better?

 Wind Beneath My Wings

Sometimes it takes a song a long time to find its one, true friend. Such is the case with today's Who Did It Better? entry. Now considered something of a classic, this particular tune would be sung by a number of industry heavy hitters before finally finding the one voice which had just the right stuff.  

Wind Beneath My Wings (AKA: The Wind Beneath My Wings and Hero) is a song written in 1982 by Jeff Silbar and Larry Henley, both well-established country and western songwriters.

Surprisingly, the song was first recorded in 1982 by Kamahl, a well-known Malaysian-born Australian singer and recording artist. However, he declined to release it, as he felt it didn't fit well alongside the other songs on the album he was working on.

Roger Whittaker is actually the first artist to release the song. He, in addition to Sheena Easton and Lee Greenwood, would record and release the song in 1882.  

Easton, in particular, was an early supporter of the song. She would perform it on a number of television shows, including The Merv Griffin Show and The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson, albeit, with a completely different arrangement than the one that appeared on her album, 1982's Madness, Money & Music. And, despite recording a promotional video (again, with a completely different arrangement than that on the album), her version was never released as a single.

In 1983 the song was recorded and released by Australia's Coleen Hewett, Lou Rawls, Gladys Knight & The Pips and country singer, Gary Morris. Released in February of 1983, Hewett's version is the first to appear on a national chart, peaking at #52 on Australia's Kent Music Report.

Lou Rawls' (You'll Never Find) up-tempo version, released in March of 1983, would be the first to chart in the states, nabbing the #10 spot on the Adult Contemporary chart, as well as #60 on Billboard's Black Singles chart and #65 on the Hot 100. Following suit, Gladys Knight & The Pips' version, recorded under the title Hero, would land at #64 on the Black Singles chart and #23 on the Adult Contemporary chart that same year. 

Gary Morris is the first artist to score big with the song. His version would climb all the way to #4 on Billboard's Hot Country Singles chart and would go on to win both the Academy of Country Music's and the Country Music Association's award for Song of the Year. 

The world would have to wait five more years before the song would find it's greatest ally. 

But before then, veteran Perry Como would record the song for his final album on RCA Records in 1987. Como wanted the song released as a single, but RCA refused. The singer was so angry with the decision that he vowed never to record for RCA ever again. 

Bette Midler recorded the song in 1988 as part of the soundtrack for her blockbuster film, Beaches. Marc Shaiman, Midler's longtime music arranger, was already a fan of the song and suggested it to her when they were identifying songs she could perform during the film. Released as a single in early 1989, it would reach #1 on Billboard's Hot 100 in June of that year. Both the song and the film would totally revitalize her career. Her version of the song would go on to win a slew of awards, including Grammy Awards for Record of the Year and Song of the Year. It would also chart well elsewhere: #5 in the UK, #2 in Iceland, #4 in New Zealand and #1 in Australia. 

 

And that's the whole story. 

Now, on today's selective competition!

The Song: Wind Beneath My Wings

The Competitors: Easton vs. Rawls vs. Gladys Knight & The Pips vs. Morris vs. Midler

Wind Beneath My Wings - Sheena Easton

Wind Beneath My Wings - Lou Rawls

Hero - Gladys Knight & The Pips

Wind Beneath My Wings - Gary Morris

Wind Beneath My Wings - Bette Midler

Sheena Easton

So, this is a shame. Easton was an early champion of this song, long before Morris or Midler. And she worked it - featuring it on all her televised performances, even though EMI refused to release it as a single. It spoke to her personally. The shame is - in live performances - on talk shows, etc. - she used a completely different arrangement than the one on the album, and for good reason. 

The arrangement used on the album version is sludge. The one she used in live performance featured more traditional keyboard work and was string-driven. Why does it matter?

Because the album version is rather dreadful. Her vocals don't cut through until she goes full voice on the chorus - and when she does it's piercing, with her vibrato getting the best of her. She works the word 'eagle' like a member of ABBA. The synths are heavy, muddy, and undecipherable throughout. 

It's not until the second verse that things kick in. The piano helps immeasurably, bringing some energy to the leaden tempo. The back beat heavy drums (though ham-fisted) also bring relief and suddenly Easton is in her element, vocally.

I have always had a love/hate opinion regarding Easton's vocals. On one hand, her pure vowel sounds, especially in her upper range, cut through like no one else's. On the other hand? There is something a bit empty going on there, a lack of emotional fulfillment. It's like the difference between being a technically perfect piano player and one who makes a bit of a mess of things, but brings a lot of emotional impact with their choices. 

Those backing vocals are incredibly common, huh? They don't really add a lot of flavor. The piano play-out is lovely. I wish they would have utilized it as the instrumental focus from the very beginning. 

Lou Rawls

Spoken word intros to ballads always strike me as laughable, but... if I must endure one, I want it to be the voice of Lou Rawls. Deeply sexy. That man could talk filth to me anytime. 

Odd choices abound here. I find it strange that it still sounds a bit country? 

Singing the word 'eagle' is really not as torturous as Rawls manages to make it. And his clipping of the title, very unfortunate (and a bit funny.) This plays like a bit of a parody. 

The arrangement feels a bit like clip art - which is nice, because it allows the focus to be on Rawls. That occasional steel guitar flavor is the reason this sounds a bit like country music. 

"I would be nothing without you..." Oh my word. No. Rawls had a well-developed, very individual style when it came to phrasing. I do like when he pops up and growls a bit. "Eagle, I said," - comical. As is "wind-dah." But that's Lou!

The instrumental break is unfortunate. So bland and the guitar barely rides above the tepid mix. I do like it when the piano takes focus. 

Rawls returns to commit all the same sins as before. And the play out is very rote. This all feels like a Las Vegas parody. 

Sorry, Lou. 

Gladys Knight & The Pips

I like this intro. Simple, piano and string-driven. Right to the point. 

Knight makes the same mistake as Easton; too quiet in the opening verse. A shame. She certainly has the pipes. Is this pitched too low for her? Also, she's pulling back on her notes too much. It's like Morris code. 

The Pips. A bit like a grunt. Reminding us they are there.

I really like the arrangement. Pretty. 

We ramp up very quickly with the chorus, going gospel. I'm not opposed. It's full-bodied and allows Knight to open up and bring the magic that she creates so easily to the table. She's certainly clipping her words, though.

It's hard to argue with that second verse. The woman has a power. She can riff on any melody and take it to somewhere unexpected. Me? I'm happy to go there with her. Given the dramatic fire brought to the first chorus, I wondered where she was going to go with this. Clearly, there are still more fireworks to come. 

Note: Knight's power as a vocalist is so individualistic and so powerful that only she could have taken on The Way We Were, coupling it with the Broadway chestnut, Try To Remember and compete on the charts with Streisand. Yes, apples and oranges, but she managed to take it to #11 on the Hot 100 - and that's saying something. 

Huh. So the arrangement is cinematically perfect. And it's a nice bed for Knight to work her stuff on top of. The Pips are super strong and aid in all the right places (save for that first grunt.) This ends up emotionally effective, so why the fail? 

They failed to perform that first verse. Period. Had it been stronger, a more traditional read and not crouched due to the impending fireworks, I think this would have done better on the charts - although it was a bit out of step with current trends at the time. I get the whole, let's keep this flame on a low simmer and then wow them with the power of it all, but the burner was on too low from day one - and that cost them any potential this might have had  to get play on AM radio. 

Gary Morris

Pleasant intro. Warm. There's some charm there. Morris has an old man vibrato. And I don't typically care for clipped syllables, except when performing Jazz.  This tempo is leaden. I like the guitar work. The bottle neck guitar is just lovely. It flits in and out like a sea gull at dawn, adding great color. 

This reminds me of so much of the Xtian music sung on those evangelical television shows. I think that thought alone is going to kill this for me, though I must say, Morris sounds great on the chorus. This is country? 

Lovely bottle neck guitar work on the instrumental bridge. Stunning.

Huh. I was hoping he'd kick it in on the second verse. He does not. Second verse, same as the first. Morris has a nice voice. It's effective. 

I don't care for the tempo. Too ponderous. Not uplifting enough. By the time the cavalry arrives in the form of those backing vocals in the chorus, I have already tuned out. Morris' delivery on the verses is too clipped for my taste. I like phrasing. I like it when notes and words connect to one another delivering a thought, an emotion. 

This is like waiting for a stutterer to finish a sentence.

I like the arrangement. The guitar work throughout is stellar. The tempo is at fault here; no where is this more evident than on that final chorus. Leaden. 

Too bad. There was a lot working here. 

Bette Midler

Arif Mardin has always been Midler's best musical friend. Here? He works his sorcery in a way that only he can, bringing new life to this chestnut. 

Bette, who lets you know exactly how she feels about everything, is totally on board here, bringing her 'A' game. It's a delight to hear how rejuvenated and committed she sounds, because there is nothing sadder than Bette singing a song when her heart's not in it. 

Okay, you could argue that the arrangement is a bit too vanilla pudding. There is a sheen placed over this whole thing like cellophane. Hermetically sealed. But there is an emotional drive to this version lacking in all the others that went before it. Bette finds the pulse of this song and all her additional throwaway phrases and add-ons only heighten the drama, making this song truly hers. 

This is an absolute classic for a number of reasons, many of which I've already mentioned. The tie-in to the film, Beaches, certainly helped to give this one some additional emotional weight.

I'm going to spar you a line by line review of this one. 

It would be like trying to dissect magic. 

Is this Bette's finest moment? No. 

But it was perfect for its time. Her performance is nothing short of sparkling and elegant and the production work has aged incredibly well.

The Verdict

Like there was even a question? Our girl, Bette! She knocks it out of the park. Nails it from note one.

Knight comes in second. I like her gospel approach. I wish she'd brought more to the first verse.

Morris? Meh. Though the guitar work is lovely.

Easton? She does a nice job of it, but misses the first verse. And the arrangement is terrible.

Rawls? The less said the better. Wow. He loved this song, though. It was reported that he once performed a 12 minute live version of this song in Belgium. And there's a reason for that...

...it's a great song, a true classic.

--- ---

And that's enough of me.

Okay, your turn. Let me know what you think; leave your choice and thoughts in the comments section. I always love to hear what you have to say.

That's all for now. Until next time...

Thanks for reading... and listening!

Wind Beneath My Wings - Sheena Easton

(alternate arrangement)

Wind Beneath My Wings - Bette Midler